Good day, oh righteous peoples of rock, and welcome to another edition of Classic Rock’s Tracks Of The Week.
We always enjoy our Monday searches for the latest and greatest new rock music out there, and we reckon you’ll love the selection we’ve gathered today – a veritable feast of returning heroes, new talent and unexpected releases. But first, let’s look at last week’s top three. In reverse order they are:
3. The New Death Cult - Light Spills Over
2. Lashes - Daydreamer
1. Kim Jennett - Let Me Be The One
Congratulations to Kim Jennett, who romped to victory by a healthy majority! And bravo to second and third place winners Lashes and The New Death Cult. So, time now to get stuck into this week’s shortlist, then vote for your favourite at the foot of this page. Before that, however, check this out from last week’s champion...
Royal Republic - Fireman & Dancer
With an almighty ‘Yeeeeeahhhhh!’, matching suits and machine gun-disco guitars, Sweden’s foremost rock’n’roll party-starters aren’t so much ‘back with a bang’ as ‘back with a full arsenal of bangy things and jazz-handed explosives...oh, and a saxophone’ – i.e. a gleefully, shamelessly danceable fest of flashing lights, choppy riffs, flaming guitars and addictive chorus refrains. If you liked what they did on Weekend Man (When I See You Dance With Another, Walk, Baby) you’ll love this.
Ewan Currie - I’d Like To Live In California
Of course Ewan Currie would like to live in California! Up there in chilly Saskatoon, Canada, where the Sheepdogs singer/guitarist has been writing exquisite, sunkissed vignettes of 70s West Coast rock for some years now. Maybe one day he’ll move there and live out some sort of present day Laurel Canyon fantasy, but for now we can all sit back and bask in the warm glow of this cut from his upcoming solo album.
The Black Keys - Lo/Hi
Good, groovy things from 21st century rock royalty now. The Black Keys were chief instigators of the blues rock revival at the turn of this century, and their songs have since become so widespread they’re essentially part of the fabric of contemporary Western culture. So can they still write tunes, after all this time? Yes they can, as this cool, fuzzily T.Rex-tinged new single affirms.
Crypt Trip - Gotta Get Away
How about a heady mix of classic 70s chops and freaky cosmic hoodoo? With motorbikes, in Texas? Operating in a compelling little nook between the Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin and Humble Pie (and probably loads more), these Texan rockers do trippy nostalgia with the kind of authenticity that suggests they’ve done more than just grow their hair and buy some denim shirts (fun fact: two of them, Sam and Ryan, have recently toured the US with Roky Erickson). Check out more on their new album, Haze County.
SKAM - Bring The Rain
Punchy, commanding hard rock now from Leicester power trio SKAM (the latest cut released from ambitious, conceptual but riff-tastic album The Amazing Memoirs Of Geoffrey Goddard). Tight as hell but beefy and swaggering with it – with a massive, singalong-ready chorus and the perfect amount of guitar solo flashiness – it’s a strong, inviting offering from this leading force on the UK’s unsigned rock scene.
Black Futures - Me.TV
The British “industrial noise-punk” duo might deal in dystopian soundscapes and ominous lyrical themes, but with their new partnership with doit.life (an online platform providing opportunities for volunteering in your local area) their community spirit and “desire to unite” is coming to the fore as well. Featuring Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie, this new single is a stylishly dark but hooky marriage of snarling rock and industrial/“space punk” atmosphere.
The Texas Gentlemen - Skyway Street Car
An acoustic addition to TOTW now, from a recent radio session by the most excellent Texas Gentlemen. One of the sweeter, rootsier additions to their catalogue (with a band name like that you’d think that’s all they do; but trust us, it’s really not…) this is an immaculately delivered yet gorgeously loose slice of brooding, harmonised Americana. Check out their debut, TX Jelly, for more.
Tremendous - Open For Closing
It takes a certain degree of confidence to call your band ‘Tremendous’. Happily, this Birmingham-based crew have the chops and ear for a good tune to back it up – as shown on latest single Open For Closing, a tight yet warm marriage of Bowie-esque glam and driving contemporary rock.
